Panthers v Storm NRL finals tips & odds – Friday, September 22

Penrith vs Melbourne NRL best bets

Panthers vs Storm preliminary final preview

The third week of the 2023 NRL finals series begins on Friday night as the Melbourne Storm head up to Sydney to face the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers earned themselves a week off after comfortably beating the New Zealand Warriors 32-6 in the first week of finals. Facing a depleted Warriors side, the Panthers took the lead in the fourth minute and never looked back. Nathan Cleary led the way for the Panthers, collecting a try and a try assist.

Coming back refreshed, the Panthers will be looking to make their fourth-straight NRL Grand Final with a win this weekend.

READ: NRL FINALS WEEK 3 PREVIEW & TIPS

Last weekend, the Melbourne Storm hosted the Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park, winning 18-13 in a thrilling finish. The Storm took control early, scoring the first two tries to lead 10-0 at the 25-minute mark. However, the match was tied up at 12-12 by the 70th minute, before the Roosters kicked a field goal to lead by a point. In a desperate effort in the 78th minute, a Cameron Munster kick found Will Warbrick in the corner as the Storm snatched the winner.

After a disappointing 26-0 loss to the Broncos in week one of finals, the Storm bounced back well last week and will be looking to cause a major upset this weekend.

The Panthers suffered a major injury scare in training this week as Nathan Cleary was sent to hospital on Monday for treatment on a finger injury, but he was quickly cleared to play. In a big boost for Ivan Cleary’s side, five-eighth Jarome Luai and centre Izack Tago both return from injuries and slot straight into the starting line-up.

The Storm welcome back halfback Jahrome Hughes after he missed last weekend, dropping Tyran Wishart to the bench.

Panthers vs Storm betting predictions

Coming into this match with 10 wins from their last 11 matches, including two big wins against the Storm, the Penrith Panthers are rightly clear favourites in this match. Experienced finals campaigners, they are back at full strength and should win this comfortably. However, at -476.19, they don’t offer great value in the head-to-head market, so we are backing them at the line of -12.5 points.

With a double in each of his last two matches, Panthers winger Sunia Turuva is finding form at the right time of the season. A real workhorse, Turuva is excellent at breaking tackles and getting the ball down in the corner. In a match the Panthers are expected to win, back Turuva as an anytime tryscorer at +110 with top online bookmakers.

With the quality of defence from the Panthers likely causing the Storm major problems, look for this match to have limited opportunities in attack. All three games involving these sides have gone under the total points line, and we are expecting it to happen again, with preliminary finals traditionally being low-scoring affairs. At -111.11 with NRL betting sites, we are backing this match to have under 39.5 total points.

Key matchup: Luai vs Munster

Jarome Luai vs Cameron Munster

Returning from injury this weekend, Jarome Luai instantly makes the Panthers a better side. His creativity and connection with teammates is always a danger inside the opposition 20. Look for him to come back refreshed from the break and ready to go.

If the Storm are any danger of causing an upset in this match, Cameron Munster will need to be at the centre of it. With everything running through Munster, he possesses an X-factor ability to create chances from nothing. An excellent creator and runner of the ball, look for him to combine with the returning Jahrome Hughes to cause problems for the Penrith defence.

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